A Community At The Heart Of Europe

Nestled in the heart of the “Old Continent”, along the border between Slovenia and the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Slovenes in Italy form one of Europe’s national minorities. This volume presents an up-to-date overview of their efforts to preserve their cultural and linguistic heritage and distinctiveness. The Slovene national community in Italy has been affected by profound and at times devastating events, including both World Wars, the fascist period and the lengthy process of defining the border between Italy and Yugoslavia. The collapse of the Berlin Wall, Slovenia’s declaration of independence and the process of globalisation have provided the community with new forms of protection, but also presented it with further challenges associated with adopting its development guidelines. This book is dedicated to researchers on ethnic studies, civil rights activists and politicians dealing with minority and human rights and diversity management, as well as tourists, teachers and students.